Hotel Villas Playa Samara: The Good, the bad, and the ugly

Good: Quiet hotel, the food (at the start of the trip), the weather. Wi-Fi worked in room. Pool was nice and clean! Appreciate the swim up bar Bad: The food (buffet). Limited drink options (bar closes at 10 pm) only one restaurant (there were times where no food was available). The beach (full of rocks & logs). Everything closes at 10pm including all restaurants. No entertainment staff or night life at all. Location (anything worth walking to is 30 minute + walk). Major construction next do [... read more]or as a new hotel is being built. Any excursion that visits a volcano is a 3+ hour drive, hotel is 2.5 hour drive from Liberia Airport Ugly: Bugs found in room (cockroaches), geckos/spiders/snake all found in rooms. Verdict: Comes down to what you paid, I found a great last minute deal and lucked out with perfect weather so I enjoyed my trip. Would be careful booking here..

Planet Hollywood Costa Rica: They Do Make You the Star

My wife and I decided to try something new.... We were unfamiliar with the Planet Hollywood resort and not sure what to expect. However the vacation lived up to the 5 star rating. With only a few bumps along the way the staff and the weather was more than we expected. Being a new the facility it was spotless and impressive. Built to embrace the landscape it is surrounded by one feels truly away from cares and worries. The rooms were 'chic modern' and very spacious. We had a minor glitc [... read more]h at check in (nobody knew what the Red Carpet Room that we had booked was) that Enelson was quick to make up for the next day and put us in a Director's Room. Many thanks to him! It was the most wonderful room we have ever stayed in at any resort. As this resort provides all the information / activities / times etc. etc. for the resort on a TV screen in your room, many staff are not aware of the overall resort info. However, all were were great being at all times friendly and eager to please. We felt truly pampered and cared for. Wellness and fitness activities are important to us so we made full use of the many classes offered during the day. Yoga sessions with Carlota convinced us that we picked the right resort. Some days, up to 3 times, we were inspired to take our practice further as she cheerfully guided us through our poses. The food is good overall but best when you pick off menu or at the buffet. The octopus special at Gusto was exceptionally tender and tasty. The little Ceviche cups are a must have.

Wyndham Tamarindo: Wonderful hotel with great amenities

Amazing spot to get away from the dusty (but amazing and lively) streets of Tamarindo. A great spot to have a lazy morning or a late night swim. Not an all-inclusive, in case you think that's what you're getting, but great breakfast every morning, included! A great shuttle that takes you to and from the city from 9am to 8pm. The walk back to the hotel isn't bad after-hours, but if you need a cab, it should never be more than $5USD.

Riu Palace Costa Rica: Glorious!!!!!

This is our third year at the Riu Palace in Costa Rica. All of the Riu's are great, but the people in Costa Rica are very kind and informative. As usual, the room was delightful, the food was A+++++++ and the weather was great the whole week - lots of sun and warmth. Thanks Riu Palace - we will be back again. Sarah Fick

Riu Guanacaste: Another great stay

We stayed here a second time and everything was great again. People friendly, hotel clean and food good. Nice to have a beach and pool area. This is a great place to visit in November because even though its still rainy season we lucked out and had great weather for both of our stays. This is driest part of Costa Rica so great in Nov. If you are staying on higher floors in back area where we were, the elevator didn't work both this year and last but we didn't mind the climb as it helped work o [... read more]ff all the great food we ate. We were supposed to get some perks because it was our second year but didn't get any except another hour checkout time. Be sure to mention to your rep to mention to hotel when you check in if you are a repeat. If you have a late flight and have to hang out at hotel try and get a later check out when you book. Otherwise you have to pay $10 per person per hour past the noon checkout.

JW Marriott Costa Elena Resort and Spa: Couldn’t have been better!

No complaints. Beautiful resort. Excellent food, internet everywhere. Fabulous! Loved the activities at the resort and off resort. Highly recommend it. We got upgraded to preferred too! Rooms were beautiful.

Riu Guanacaste: Amazing resort

From booking with trip central .i will never book with anyone else.. the service is great...The hotel Riu in Guanacaste was amazing,food ,service from Sunwing ...(sh)Charlie was fantastic explained everything as we landed ..I also booked our excursion with Sunwing at the resort... (mega combo Buena vista) did 7 ziplines .. Water slide Horse back riding Mud bath amazing smooth skin Volcanic heating hot tub while enjoying a buena vista pineapple moito... Walter was our tour guide .. he [... read more] was absolutely amazing .. I learned sooo much about Costa Rica.. coffee beans , sugar cane .. and also the cowboys... Such a safe place ... to travel too... Rooms were always clean and restocked.. amazing people... My husband and children will be returning again.

JW Marriott Costa Elena Resort and Spa: Awesome resort!

Beautiful resort! Food was amazing.. I am someone who gets a stomach ache from all the food I eat at resorts, but I was completely fine with everything at this resort. Pools were spectacular and all the staff were amazing. The rooms are so well kept. They will mop the entire floor each day and clean the room so that it is sparkling.

Riu Guanacaste: Amazing resort

Hotel was beautiful! Very clean and staff were very friendly. I would definitely recommend this resort. Was very happy that I didnt have to wait for a room when we first arrived. Staff was very prepared for large group arrivals. The scenery was absolutely amazing. Dont worry about going during rainy season there are still many things to do besides it's more lush and beautiful during this time. We were very happy with our stay.

Riu Guanacaste: Amazing resort!

The hotel was great the food the people was great would definitely recommend and return my family had a wonderful time did alot of activities beach was great everyday they had a different cocktail which was delicious!

Riu Palace Costa Rica: Outstanding resort and service

The hotel is outstanding very clean and the food was amazing. The service was great and very friendly. You feel very relaxed at this hotel the atmosphere is very elegant and well kept. We did some amazing excursions horseback riding , zip lining and mud bath and hot springs. Another day we went to the animal sanctuary right beside the hotel snd ATV in the afternoon again so much fun. While we were there we did the river cruise we saw howler monkeys, crocodile,iguana, bats and many different  [... read more]kinds of birds. I highly recommend this trip.

Riu Palace Costa Rica: Absolutely Amazing!!

Stayed here from Sept 17-25. This resort is absolutely beautiful. The staff are very friendly and can speak English which is awesome. The room was like something out of a magazine and was very clean. Only negative thing about the room was that the pillows weren’t very comfortable. Not much to complain about, right? The food was delicious. So much to choose from and everything tasted delicious. The grounds were gorgeous. They had top of the line alcohol as well. The beach was beautiful even tho [... read more]ugh it was black sand. Will definitely be returning to this resort!

JW Marriott Costa Elena Resort and Spa: Amazing Trip!

Dreams was one amazing resort to stay in! We had an amazing ocean view and all the shops and restaurants were very close to us. Staff were very helpful and the resort was just beautiful! I would definitely go back and stay at the pool all day again! Maybe this time I will try more excursions that were offered in the resort!

Hotel Villas Playa Samara: Nice little resort.

Good food, nice room, friendly staff. Beautiful beach with beautiful horses coming to visit daily. Only downfall was too few beach chairs and the day they ran out of beer in one of the bars. Fixed that by getting in cans. Real nice walk along the beach to town.

Hotel Villas Playa Samara: Beautiful resort! Beautiful country!

Everything was nice, but the restaurant menu could have more choice. The villas were nice, big, comfortable, beautiful interior, there was coffee maker, but only one package of coffee for the whole stay .

Riu Guanacaste: Great family time !

I was worried about where we were staying after reading some reviews on trip advisor. They were unfounded. We had a great time the resort was clean, the rooms were a good size, the beach was fab!!! I would go back. It was a great price point and everything I expected.

JW Marriott Costa Elena Resort and Spa: Best ever resort

My husband and I enjoyed this resort so much that we are hoping to take our 4 grown kids with their partners and grandchildren to celebrate our 40 th wedding anniversary. We felt so comfortable, the food was superb, ( and we love nice food), the staff were ALL so sweet and kind. We came home so relaxed. We have never gone to a resort twice! We enjoyed the entertainment at night, especially the small groups of musicians. We danced on our balcony. Each pool area had a different feel to it.

Riu Guanacaste: Amazing Resort!

My husband and I took our 2 boys (ages 10 and 14) to this resort for a week and LOVED it!! It's a beautuful hotel right on the beach, and offers clean swimming pools. The buffet offers a wide variety of foods to choose from, and there are 4 restaurants. The staff were very friendly and accommodating. We plan on going back!!

Riu Palace Costa Rica: Beautiful Resort

The food was excellent Our Trip Central Representative, Eliana Anton was amazing. Sunwing Flight attendants were Superb, they always had smiles on their faces and were courteous. The outward appearance of the hotel is very attractive and groundsmen did a great job maintaining the place.All the food was delicious but they could have done a better job providing Premium Rum. all they had was 3 and 5 years old rum. Sunwing representative Gerry was great. Thank you to everyone

JW Marriott Costa Elena Resort and Spa: Amazing, breath taking resort

We went to Dreams for our honeymoon and we couldn't have asked for a better resort! It was rainy season, but that was perfect because everywhere you looked, there was greenery. The grounds were kept so clean, as were the pools. There were so many pools to choose from and plenty of towels and chairs! All of them were very clean and maintained really well. There weren't many pool activities but we were okay with that because we wanted to relax. At first we were hesitant because of the all ages res [... read more]ort, but we actually ended up using the all ages pool more then the adults only pool. The bars by the pools had quick service and the bartenders would always come around and ask if we wanted any drinks. The bartenders were honestly so amazing. It made staying by the kid's pool side better! The beach was okay. The mountain view in the background was great but if you're going to Costa Rica for the beach, then this isn't the destination for you. Because it is a public beach, there are locals there who will try and sell you their excursions. They are friendly, but it did get kind of annoying after which made us avoid the beach altogether. We stayed at the jungle view building and it was great. At first, all we saw were green trees but every morning, we'd see white faced monkeys jumping through the trees! Some even came to our balcony for fruits. The room was very open. There are frosted glass doors but that's about it.. I suggest you definitely be comfortable with your roommate. We didn't use the tub in the balcony, but it was a cool feature. The World Cafe (all you can eat buffet) was good. The food was kind of repetitive after 5 days but if you switch it up and go to the a la cartes, then you'll be okay. We did however get sick the last day of our 7 day vacation and we suspect that it may be from the raw sushi. Himitsu was amazing. Great show and the best restaurant at the resort. Portifino (Italian) and El Patio (Mexican) restaurants weren't bad. Coco Cafe also had great coffee and gelato. The Barefoot Grill by the pool also had good lunch but it was the same everyday - burgers, sausages, quesadillas and wraps. We did the Mega Combo excursion through Swiss Travel. It was amazing! Best experience ever. The package came with hiking, natural water slide, zip lining, horseback riding, mud bath and volcanic hot springs! Definitely worth the experience for sure. Overall, we are very happy with our decision to go to Dreams for our honeymoon.